Topic: Future 60g Community ideas...

[Skipwithr]

Hey all.

My brother-in-law and I will soon be undertaking the upkeep of a 60g aquarium. We don't actually have it yet (picking it up, free, this afternoon), but I'm starting the look for stocking ideas, now. Obviously, we'll have the tank cycled before we put anything (other than possibly some Zebra Danios to quicken the cycle) in it. I've got another community tank, a 29g, and I'm looking for something a little different.

I'm thinking maybe a semi-aggressive community? Personally, I'd really like to keep a Jack Dempsey, or an Oscar (or both? not really sure that 60g would be adequate for one of each, anyway), but choosing such large aggressive fish just narrows down the possible tankmates so much, I'm not sure that me and the bro-in-law would both be happy with that. So, semi-aggressive community it is. Any suggestions? One thing I've been thinking about is perhaps an African or S.A. Cichlid 'biotope' type aquarium. What do you guys think? The end result will still be months away, so there's no real rush, as of yet, so I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'd just like something a little different than the basic 'school of tetras/livebearers with a large centerpiece fish and a catfish.'

So... have at it!

[Nic Obscurites]

Hmm a trio of opaline or snakeskin gouramies, maybe around 4 or 5 kuhli loaches, and a nice school of a (not too) small tight schooling fish

I of course would plant it heavily and with a nice centerpiece of drift wood and if loaches or any carnivorous bottom dweelers (or carnivorous fish at all really) are not added then maybe some shrimp(blue pearl, cherry red, or crystals theyd breed plentiful and you could have a nice colony of them and the gouramies can treat themselves to some of the smaller babies as a treat, that way your population wont explode.

[Skipwithr]

Thanks for the response, Nic.

I don't know about the gouramis. I've kept some dwarfs and blues, before, and while they were amazingly pretty, but just not interested in them for this tank, I don't think.

The tank will be planted, (hopefully mostly by just propogating what I've already got growing in my 29g tank) more than likely with both driftwood and a bit of rock or some other such, as decoration/centerpieces.

Kuhli loaches are interesting fish, and I think I'd like to keep some, but I don't think they'd be the best choice for a semi-aggressive tank. They seem pretty easy-going, and I wouldn't want to stress them out. So, if we do end up doing the aggressive community route, probably no loaches.

Same thing with the shrimp. I've never kept them either, but I dunno about the aggression being too much for them.

[LittlePuff]

A Dempsey or Oscar would work. Do you have hard or soft water? African cichlids tank would be cool too!